OBJECTIVE: To compare the impact of a whole-staff training strategy to a train-the-trainer strategy on 1) the number of influenza, pneumococcal, herpes zoster, and pertussis vaccines administered by community pharmacists to adults; 2) staff confidence; and 3) fidelity to the intervention. SETTING: Eight Quality Food Centers (QFC) Pharmacies in Seattle, Washington. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: QFC Pharmacy is a grocery store division of The Kroger Co...

OBJECTIVES: In an effort to reduce reimbursement penalty from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, hospitals have looked to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs as well as adopt innovative practices to reduce 30-day readmission rates. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of delaying prescription fill on 30-day readmission rates for patients with heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Identifying an association between delaying prescription fill and readmission rate would validate programs that provide patients with their medications before discharge...

OBJECTIVES: To determine if outpatient pharmacies of an academic medical center inadvertently dispense discontinued medications and, if so, if these inadvertently dispensed prescriptions contribute to subsequent hospital admissions and patient harm. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective chart review. Prescription billing data were analyzed for electronic prescriptions for hypotensives, hypoglycemics, anticoagulants, antiplatelets, and statins picked up from 3 outpatient pharmacies within the health system over a period of 1 year...

OBJECTIVES: To discuss the potential for improving access to early abortion care through pharmacies in the United States. SUMMARY: Despite the growing use of medications to induce termination of early pregnancy, pharmacist involvement in abortion care is currently limited. The Food and Drug Administration's Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for Mifeprex® (mifepristone 200 mg), the principal drug used in early medication abortion, prohibits the dispensing of the drug by prescription at pharmacies...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate Utah community pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes toward recommendation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, to determine whether the knowledge and attitude of pharmacists regarding the HPV vaccine influence their recommendation behaviors, and to capture any self-identified barriers to recommending the HPV vaccine. DESIGN: A cross-sectional anonymous 73-item survey was developed and administered to community, outpatient, and ambulatory care pharmacists...

OBJECTIVES: To model the association between pharmacy technicians' attitudes and planned behaviors toward participating in medication therapy management (MTM) and MTM completion rates. Secondary objectives included 1) to compare pharmacy technician and pharmacist attitudes and planned behaviors toward participating in MTM and 2) to identify respondent and pharmacy demographic factors associated with MTM completion rates. DESIGN: A 27-item survey, adapted from a previously published survey tool based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), was used to collect respondent perceptions of MTM...

OBJECTIVES: To decrease nonadherence rates through the design and implementation of a collaborative prescription management program involving a community pharmacy and a large pediatric primary care center. PRACTICE INNOVATION: Kroger and Cincinnati Children's Pediatric Primary Care Center collaborated to identify and address patients' barriers to filling new prescriptions. After filling new medications for clinic patients, pharmacists telephoned patients to inform them that their prescription was ready and to reinforce the importance of initiating the therapy...

OBJECTIVES: To assess pharmacists' perceptions of point-of-care testing (POCT) and treatment for influenza and streptococcus pharyngitis in a community pharmacy setting. A secondary objective was to explore the correlation between demographic data and survey responses. METHODS: An anonymous electronic Likert-type-scale questionnaire was sent to pharmacists in a division of a large national supermarket chain pharmacy in western Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas...

OBJECTIVES: Community pharmacy continues to play a crucial role in the national response to the opioid epidemic. The purpose of this article is to describe the protocol for a pilot study that is examining the feasibility and acceptability of the Motivational Intervention-Medication Therapy Management (MI-MTM) model. This study also examines the preliminary clinical effect of MI-MTM for improving opioid medication misuse and patient activation in self-management of health conditions that increase risk for misuse...

OBJECTIVE: Streptococcus pyogenes is an aerobic, gram-positive bacterium responsible for a wide variety of infections including common pharyngitis. Novel rapid antigen detection tests allow for diagnosis of group A Streptococcus (GAS) at the point of care. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effects and feasibility of community pharmacist-directed GAS testing. SETTING: A retrospective analysis of aggregate billing data was conducted using descriptive statistics to evaluate the acceptance and feasibility of a community pharmacist-directed Streptococcus testing program at Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incorporation of a state health information exchange (HIE) into a community pharmacy transitions of care (TOC) service and to assess its impact on 30-day readmission rates. SETTING: Three suburban community pharmacies in Olathe, Kansas. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: Balls Food Stores is a grocery store chain which operates 21 supermarket community pharmacies in the Kansas City metropolitan area. PRACTICE INNOVATION: Balls Food Stores launched a pharmacist-led self-referral TOC study in which a state HIE was utilized to collect discharge information from patients' electronic medical records (EMRs) to facilitate TOC comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs)...

OBJECTIVES: Determine the effects of an 18-month pilot project using tech-check-tech in 7 community pharmacies on 1) rate of dispensing errors not identified during refill prescription final product verification; 2) pharmacist workday task composition; and 3) amount of patient care services provided and the reimbursement status of those services. DESIGN: Pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study where baseline and study periods were compared. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in 7 community pharmacies in Iowa...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the reported amount of 14 vitamins and 10 minerals in over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) prenatal multivitamins and minerals (PMVMs) and compare them to the Health and Medicine Division (HMD) of the National Academies recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) and tolerable upper intake levels for intake. DESIGN: Observational convenience sample of supplemental facts labels on OTC and Rx PMVMs identified and evaluated from online retailers, grocery stores, and pharmacies...